Excerpt of a speech given by Mrs. Biji Surinder Kaur, 10 Dec., 2012 Kirpal Sagar
(printed in “Sayings of Sant Kirpal Singh” 2013 edition)
Beloved Sangat of Master,
The topic of today’s conference is, “Truthful living is still above Truth.” Today (Bhaji’s birth anniversary) we are looking at one highly lived truthful life, the life of Bhaji (Dr. Harbhajan Singh). I have seen how he lived his life, how to lead a real truthful life.
What is the purpose of celebrating the birthday of such personalities?
Whatever our Muslim brother said, it was actually the voice of my heart. He said, “Bhaji often shed lot of light on my life.”
Bhaji always used to say,
“Kirpal Sagar is a common platform.”
He did not only say it but showed it by living it practically. In the Sarovar you can see all the corner buildings, with gurdawara, church, mosque, temple, and when you go straight (after entering), there is a central common building, which is telling us that the way for everyone, whether he is Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or Christian is the same, the way to come (in the world) and the way to go.
Kabir’s daughter once went to take water from a well, and there people of high cast abused her and told not to fill water from there, because she is from low cast, from low society. She told to them, “If you are from such a high cast, high society, then why you also came through the womb of the mother like me and were not born in another way?”
Saints always come to open the inner door. I also got the chance to witness such a truthful life of a Saint, the life of Bhaji, of Dr. Sahib.
I like the Qwalis (songs from Sufi-tradition full of love and yearning) very much, because last night during the singing of the Qwalis, a lot of knowledge was opened through the Qwalis. I could gain a lot from this knowledge. Dr. Sahib (Bhaji) often used to say, “I will believe that my birth was really successful, if the waves of Nectar will come from the Sagar, Kirpal Sagar.”
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Saints are Love Personified
For example, one time a man came with a bomb to blow up Master. Master was sitting in Satsang and was seeing from inside that he was coming. He very politely stood up and went out of the gathering in the ground where He saw this person coming. When he came (near) He just hugged him and loved him a lot. And when Master gave him so much love, he asked Him, “But why you love me so much?” Master answered, “Because my Master has told me to do that only.” And this man said, “Now ask me what I have come for, I have been given a job.” Master said, “O.K., that you can also do, that is why I have come outside.” This Formless (God) is always taking a man body and comes for us.
And thereafter what did Master with this man?
Master will not leave anybody. He is always helping everybody to develop and He gave him the duty of His personal telephone, and that person did that duty till his last.
Saints are always Love Personified,
they always come for us to save us, to save the soul.
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Thoughts are very potent
Our Muslim brother told one story of three men who looted some gold from somewhere, and two of them said to the third one, “Go and arrange for the food.” And while he went to arrange for the food, the others thought, “Now we have to divide in three, why not to kill this one and it will be divided into two.” And when the third one came back, they killed him and thereafter they started to eat the food (he had brought). But they also died, because the other one was also asking himself, “Why to share with others?” and he put poison into the food.
Why it happened?
The third one who went to bring the food caught that (thought) from the other two.
The other way round, in the same way when we are having good intentions, when we are having good things in us, and we are having a truthful life, then whatever we say will have good effect on others.
Master often used to say,
“Whatever is inside us will react through what we say.”
As Master used to give the example:
When the air is coming through fire, it will be hot,
if it is coming through cold water, it will be cold.
Whatever is inside of us, whatever we are from inside, whatever we say, whatever we look at with a certain intention, it will happen, it will react on the others.
Their intention was not right, when they were sending him for the food. So he also got that poison (of their bad thoughts) from them and then all three were corrupted (and died).
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Bhaji always showed the unity practically
Even today people of different religions are sitting on the stage. This is our community of the spiritual people. There is one kajal which everybody is putting on the eyes to decorate the eyes, even to open the eyes, and there is a stream of kajal from the Saints with which they use to open the inner eye.
I see that some heads of the surrounding villages are also present, and I am happy that they are here.
When Bhaji came to this area, he used to say, “I have come to your area and you should know that I have come to do something for you. Make the best use of me.” His life was always practical. And at that time he announced in the area that there will a hospital with 500 beds. We have already started to build the first 100 beds of that phase. And the foreign Welfare Society has given the Mobile Clinic to help to serve the area.
As Bhaji wanted to serve the area, we are doing that. In our old-aged home we are having 35 people living there, and they are not only living there, they live in our hearts. We always care for them, whether they need food or medicine, or anything. We always feel that they should be living comfortably. This is the seva (selfless service) which we have got and this can only be done by those who got it.
It was Bhaji’s wish and he used to say,
“If 500 students are studying in the Kirpal Sagar Academy, all 500 will be my children. When they will study here and then go out, they will do service in the high office in the country. And when they will work hard and honestly, everybody will ask them, ‘From where have you come? From where you got the education?’ And then they will surely say from where they got it — from Kirpal Sagar.”
And then Bhaji said,
“When they will say, ‘In Kirpal Sagar’ — that will be a reward for me. I will be happy.”
Our Kirpal Sagar is always dedicated to help everyone, to help everybody to develop. Yesterday, when the marriages were held, one man who was there to get married collapsed. I and my son were both so much upset, felt pain and went there to see what had happened. Immediately the doctors went there and checked him; and they found that it was not a disease, but he felt very weak.
I remember the time when Bhaji participated in the UN Human Rights Conference in Vienna; there someone said to him, “But the country to which you belong is very poor.”
Bhaji said,
“Maybe it is, but I have plans for my country, I wish to start factories which can give employment for the unemployed, so that there is no one unemployed (and thus without income). I would like to build hospitals for the sick, so that everybody gets good health facilities and no one has to remain sick (due to poverty).”
When in Bhaji’s hospital in Nag Kalan people used to come, they got a very humble and polite service from him out of compassion. They used to say (about Bhaji) . . .
“He is the savior of the poor, the savior of those who are sad and do not feel well, he is the savior of those who have suffered.”
And I see that the same thing is happening in our hospital in Kirpal Sagar, the same culture is there. When all doctors come to me and ask if I have any demand, I always tell them,
“Whenever any suffering person comes, he always believes that doctors are like God, so deal them very politely.
If you will speak politely, loveably with a smile, they will be half O.K.”
This is what I want: that people should remember that in this hospital the same culture is developing (as in Bhaji’s hospital). I am happy about that.
I do not teach others (instead) . . .
First the knowledge is for my own self, my knowledge is practical.
I try to teach to myself, to build up myself, and then it is for others.
We should always try to build up everybody, we should always try to develop others, we should not try to bring anyone down.
I was happy that there were also teams from New Delhi in the Volleyball tournament. The captain of one team met me and said, “Biji, I come here and participate since many years.” I said, “Yes, this is your home.” I was very happy about him. And he said, “I will come next year also.”
Similarly, in the Qwalis, the head of this Qwali group came down from the stage and said, “I also need something, give me something. I feel that I have become yours and I would like to come every year.” I said, “Yes, you can come, this is your home, it is open for everybody.” This is how we should try to build up and develop everybody by supporting him, we should not criticize or bring anybody down.
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How can we go above the physical body?
It will not be possible by talking. Only, when we will become subtle and go in the subtle world. Because we have to go on that level, to go in that world, then only it will be possible. We should try to build up ourselves, we should try to build up others, and that will also help to build up ourselves.
If we build up others we will also build up ourselves.
Once again I say, I was happy with the Qwalis. The Sufi writings were sung in the Qwalis and they are full of knowledge. I could learn a lot from it.
There was one Qwali about the experience of one disciple (Bulleh Shah) whose Master was not happy with him and did not want to see him. He worked really hard to please his Master, and he (Bulleh Shah) said,
“It is really hard to make a Master happy,
but it is easy to make God happy.”
It is hard to make the Master happy — that is true.
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How can peace be established?
Everyone is going somewhere and participating in conferences to establish peace, but this is not how peace will be established.
Peace must be there in our own house, in our village, in our city.
Our body is the house, our heart is the village,
and it should be established also in the city,
means when we rise above body-consciousness.
So if there is peace in us, we will be able to bring about peace in the outer world. If there is no peace in us, we cannot bring about peace outside.
Peace will be established when we cross the jungle, when we cross the forest,
means when we cross all the difficulties in us and rise above the body.
Time has passed so soon, 9th December passed with the marriages, 10th (Bhaji’s birth anniversary) is also passing quickly, everybody will go back, then we will remain here alone. It was so good when everybody was here.
We could not achieve this time what Master wanted to bring about, when He said, “We are all one.”
We could not demonstrate (this unity) and give a deep message, but next time, on the next Bhandara (celebration) in February we will do it. Either we will go to some conferences to which some people of different religions, invited us, or we will invite them to come here.
We will demonstrate and give this message to all, because our stage is a practical stage. We don’t give others just fine words, “There should be unity, there should be unity.” But we invite everybody. We demonstrate to the people what unity means, and that it is not wrong what everybody says (on the stage). Every religion says the same, we only have to follow (do it practically). Such unity should exist.
“O God, bless all of us with this real truthful living,
as truthful living is still above truth.”
This is my prayer.